


Chasing the Stars

by Cyan (vehicroids)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Angst, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Langst, M/M, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 20:43:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16048196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehicroids/pseuds/Cyan
Summary: Lance had been experiencing strange dreams lately about a beautiful boy - he had hair like the night sky, and eyes so beautiful it didn't feel human. The boy wasn't real, but then, why did these dreams feel so real?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OH MAN I've been excited to post this forever!! Ahhh ; o; I loved writing this fic so much, and I love Klance so much... This was written for the [Klance Big Bang!](https://klancebb2018.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I was paired with [Shi](http://shiroikumo.tumblr.com/post/178292840062/lance-had-been-experiencing-strange-dreams-lately), whose art I'll link when she posts. Her art is so good, y'all need to check her out!
> 
> And, finally, here's a link to [my Tumblr!](http://vehicroids.tumblr.com)

Lance always considered himself a heavy sleeper; with his eye mask on and headphones in, not much woke him up. But something made him stir - a warm, empty spot in his bed. Weird. He always slept alone. He took off his eye mask and pulled his headphones off one ear and looked to the opened door. Lance didn’t remember leaving the door open when he went to bed. A shadowed figure stood, their back to Lance. He groaned, rubbing his eyes. He recognised this guy, even in the darkness.

“Hey,” Lance whispered, and the guy turned to face him. His mouth was open slightly, a sigh passing his lips, but that was all Lance could really see. His vision was blurred, and the light was too bright. “Where are you going?”

“I'm just going to pee, I'll be back soon, go back to sleep,” the guy said. He turned around, but looked back over his shoulder. “I love you.”

“Mm? I love you too, sweet thing.”

Lance rolled over, away from the door. It closed softly, extinguishing the light. It took no time at all for Lance to go back to sleep, and his brain dismissed it all as a dream. An odd, realistic dream, but a dream nonetheless. Lance lived alone, it wouldn't make sense for anyone but Hunk to come in.

He woke up the next morning feeling strange. A little sick, like he had eaten too much candy. He felt like he was trudging through custard, both emotionally and physically. Lance woke up with his face in his pillow. His first thought -  _ oh no, my face mask is probably ruined. _ He took a deep breath as he rolled over, and caught the scent of something strange. It smelled musky, something that was out of place in Lance's sweet-smelling room. He pulled a face.

He got up and ready for the day, meeting up with Hunk for breakfast as he usually did. He poked at the gloopy mess the Garrison dared to call oatmeal. It did nothing to ease his stomach. That dream did a number on his psyche, and he couldn’t even explain why. Hunk frowned at him.

“You okay, man? You're really, really quiet?” Hunk asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Lance kept poking, before giving up. “I woke up weird, I guess. I feel like something's missing, and I don't know what.”

Hunk hummed. “Maybe you forgot your homework?”

Lance's eyes went wide, realisation smacking him in the face. Crap. Crap crap  _ crap _ , that must have been it. He planted his face against the cold table, groaning. Of course he'd forgotten his homework. Hunk patted his shoulder sympathetically, while Lance lamented. He had time to rush it; a five-minute job was better than nothing, right? He just needed to be crafty with his time.

After breakfast, he rushed off to his room, only to be pulled into Iverson’s office. What had he done now? God, it was because he ran instead of walking, and they’d talked about this before. He didn't even need to pay attention to know that's what it was. He listened to Iverson talk without taking it in, his brain still fuzzy. But he tuned back in, just in time to hear the words he had always wanted to hear.

“... And that's why you're being awarded the promotion.”

“Wait.” Lance held his hands up, trying not to smile. “Promotion. What does that mean? Like-- like I'm a fighter pilot now?”

“Listening will do you good, cadet,” Iverson spat. “I suggest you start now.”

“I'm sorry, sir.” Lance’s smile faded. “But, who am I gonna be teamed with?

Lance was ousted from the room without an answer. His question was answered almost immediately, as he walked out of the room and looked at the board. He was in a team with Hunk and Pidge, and he raised his eyebrows. There had to be a mistake. Hunk had a pilot, and their name was… was… uh… Lance shook his head. Then his pilot must have quit, or gotten kicked out. Lance didn't know or care. This meant he had finally made it. He ran off, whooping with joy, to go and find Hunk, completely forgetting about his homework. When Lance told Hunk, all he did was tilt his head in confusion.

“What about my pilot?” Hunk asked.

“I don't know. I uh… I stopped listening.” Lance grinned sheepishly.

Hunk shot him a look of disapproval, but at least didn't ask more questions. After that, all form of an attention span for Lance was gone. It was already a good day for him, and it was only going to get better. From here on out, Lance was a fighter pilot, teamed up with his best friend in the whole world. And Pidge Gunderson, whoever that may have been.

***

The week went by rather unsuccessfully. Their team was certainly something. Lance thought that working with Hunk would have been easy, but it wasn’t. It came with a whole new set of problems, like handling him in a panic, and when he was puking in places he shouldn’t have been. Pidge absolutely refused to work with Lance, rejecting any form of authority. He grew irritated with both of them pretty quickly. He tried so hard not to snap, yet it still happened far too often. There was no way he could stay calm with those two.

Thankfully, Friday night arrived. Sure, it was a time for fun, but also his mom called every Friday evening. He sat cross-legged on his bed, phone to his ear, soothed by the sound of her voice. She chattered on about the neighbours, and how his brother was getting on in college. She mentioned his nieces and nephews, and oh, how they were growing up! Lance missed home so much, but he was glad for these calls. Mom was never too far away.

“Oh yeah! I never told you, but guess who got promoted to fighter pilot? Me. That's right, I did it. You're talking to the best pilot in the whole Garrison, Mom,” Lance smirked down the phone, beaming with pride.

His mother squeaked from excitement. “Bambi!” Lance hated that name, dying every time he heard it. He wanted to die. “I'm so proud of you! Did you tell your boyfriend?”

“My…? Mom, c'mon, we've been over this. Hunk is just a friend,” Lance said, rolling his eyes.

On the other end, his mom went quiet for a moment. Uncharacteristic for her, and a little scary. “Ah, I'm sorry, baby. I didn't...” She perked back up immediately. “So! You'll never guess who I bumped into at the market.”

Lance pulled his knees to his chest, listening to his mom chatter on. Weird woman, but it also wasn't the first time she forgot he and Hunk weren't dating. Jeez, a guy comes out to his mom, and suddenly he's banging every dude in a five mile radius. Whatever. At least she was supportive.

***

_ “What are you looking for?” Lance asked, looking around the room. _

_ He couldn't see much of it, but it looked to be some kind of shack. It was hard to see in the darkness, but he could see papers tacked to the wall. Someone was with Lance, but had no idea who he was. The other guy stood facing the wall, arms crossed on his chest. He was staring intently at the corkboard, brows furrowed. _

_ “I don't know, that's what I'm trying to figure out.” _

_ Lance couldn't place the voice, but somehow, he knew it. Maybe he heard it on TV, or in class. He took a step closer, the papers making no sense to him, but he wanted to help, and he wanted to understand. Whatever it took, he was going to help. _

_ “You won't believe me, but it's calling to me, whatever it is. And I have to find it,” the guy said. _

_ He folded his arms over his chest. He drummed his arm with his fingers, anxious, staring at the wall full of papers. _

_ “No, I believe you. I want to help you, man.” Lance placed a reassuring hand on the stranger's shoulder, squeezing gently. _

_ The other visibly relaxed, even cracking the faintest of smiles. “Thank you, Lance.” _

***

Lance woke up with a start. He hadn’t felt like this after a dream in about a month, and much like the last time, he woke up feeling like he was swimming in jelly. His head was pounding, and his body felt sluggish. A part of Lance told him those two dreams were linked, but he ignored that part. It was just stress, and in his dreams, he could escape to somewhere else. Somewhere that was not class.

Most of the day passed without issue. Lance being quiet, for once. He didn't participate in class, didn't argue with Pidge. He didn’t mean to, but he kept to himself for the day. Unfortunately, Hunk caught on that something wasn’t quite right - Lance was just  _ too _ quiet.

“Lance? You okay? Lost in space again?” Hunk laughed nervously.

“Huh? Oh. Sorry, man. I just… I had this crazy dream, and you're never gonna believe it,” Lance said.

“You can tell me anything, you know that,” Hunk frowned.

And Lance did know that. If there was one person he could trust, it was Hunk. He hesitated for a moment, before telling him everything. Lance mentioned the weird, vague dream he had in his room a few weeks ago, and how real it felt. He described the shack in his mind, what was on the walls, as much as he could remember. Hunk, however, was reasonably skeptical. He listened with a frown, but at least he waited until Lance was done before saying something.

“You sure you haven't been watching too many movies?” Hunk asked.

“No! … maybe. But this was weird, dude, like I knew the guy.” Lance hummed in thought, then snorted. “Maybe I know this guy, just someone scrambled my memory.”

Hunk laughed. “What, so you're like, a sleeper agent? Agent McClain on the case of… whatever you were looking at in that shack.”

Lance made a gun with his hands, aiming at Hunk. “Careful, big guy, or I'll have to turn you in.”

They laughed about it, but Lance still felt weird. Maybe Lance was just being overdramatic, but those two dreams rattled him more than he wanted to admit. He knew he was imagining it, but he couldn’t help but feel like they were part of something bigger. Though, he was tired, and it was getting to him. With how things were in class, it wouldn’t surprise him.

He pushed the memories down to the pit of his brain, instead focusing on the present. He’d had dreams before about being video game characters, but that didn’t mean anything. It meant he’d played too much of the game in one night. These dreams just meant he’d watched too many action movies.

***

_ The first day of classes began, but the teacher was running late. A poor first impression, but it meant Lance had some time before class started. He looked around at his classmates, but his eyes settled on the young man next to him. He was quite pretty, with dark hair, and a brooding frown. Okay, scratch that, he was gorgeous. _

_ “Hey!” Lance smiled softly, extending his hand to the young man. “I'm Lance. Looks like we're classmates, huh?” _

_ The guy rolled his eyes and ignored Lance. Ah. So much for a good first impression. No name, no second glance, just a frown. Lance sighed softly, thinking perhaps the best option was to leave this guy alone. Pshh, nah. This wouldn't be the last time Lance tried to talk to him. _

***

It had been another month between dreams, but at least this time, Lance could see a face. Sort of. It wasn’t just a shadowed figure in the night, one Lance had to squint at to see. Dark hair. That was another clue, along with him being gorgeous. It all seemed connected to Lance, even if it made no sense. Did Lance feel so alone that his brain needed to make someone up?

Lance tried to ignore his weird dreams, this time completely shutting down any idea or notion of it meaning anything else. He focused solely on school work instead, leaving himself no time to think about it. The flight simulation training was fine, but the dreams would flash behind his eyes, and he would crash again. Hunk would be left puking into a bucket, and Pidge would yell at Lance. Then Iverson would yell at Lance, and he was left feeling worse.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that his promotion was wrong, even though this was what he had always wanted. Lance wished he knew more about the guy he took over from, but he didn’t know where to begin. Not like he could just hack into the Garrison to get information. Well, he could try, but he would risk getting caught and kicked out. He wasn’t Pidge, after all.

Maybe it was better not to know. He needed to stop watching spy movies, and had given all of his files and DVDs to Hunk. He missed his trashy movies, but it was for the best. For a week or so, it worked. He slept well, without weird dreams about an imaginary boy he felt he should know.

***

_ “Alright, I’ll bite. Where are we going?” Lance asked, looking to his partner in crime. Even in the night, he saw the flash of a smirk. _

_ “You’ll see. Just shut up and follow me,” the boy said, holding onto his wrist. _

_ He didn’t recognise where they were, somewhere in the desert, way out of the Garrison. They’d snuck out past curfew - a little bit of rebellion never hurt anyone. They ran together, until they finally found a shitty little shack. Lance frowned, looking over at the shack, then at his boy. _

_ “Really?” Lance asked. _

_ “Really. C’mon, you’ll see what’s inside,” the boy hummed, before pulling him in. _

***

Lance woke up. He groaned, frustrated, and rolled onto his front. Prophetic dreams, perhaps? Nah, too crazy. And too stupid. But maybe the dream boy was trying to say there was something in that shack. Lance didn’t even know where to start looking for that shack. No, he wasn’t going to venture out into the desert past curfew to look for a shack that may or may not exist. That was stupid.

Then again, Lance wasn’t especially known for his intelligence.

He already knew he couldn’t do this alone, and would have to assemble a team consisting of Hunk and.. Well, just Hunk. Not like he could trust anyone else with his wild dreams. Anyone else would laugh in his face. He waited until the end of the day, when it was just them chilling out in his room.

“Hey, Hunk?” Lance frowned, fiddling with his fingertips. “If I ask you to do something crazy with me, would you do it?”

“Depends. Wh-- what are you doing? I’m not gonna kill someone with you,” Hunk said.

“No!” Lance held his hands up defensively. “I mean, good to know you won’t kill a guy with me, but… I don’t wanna know why your brain jumped to that. Yes or no, man. No murder, just two dudes on an adventure.”

Hunk furrowed his brow, opened his mouth to likely argue, but decided against it. “What kind of adventure?”

He was no stranger to Lance’s antics, more than once getting into trouble for doing stupid shit together. Shit that was Lance's fault, by the way. Lance didn’t blame him for being skeptical, but it didn’t inspire confidence. Right now, Lance needed trust, not doubt.

“Sneak out with me. Wait, before you say anything - there’s a shack. I don’t know exactly where it is, but I have to find it,” Lance said. “I think that’s what my dreams have been about. You’ve gotta trust me, dude. If you’ll break out with me to flirt with pretty girls, then… please, as a buddy, you’ve gotta help me.”

Hunk’s jaw dropped. “What? I love you man, but that’s-- no. No, no way. I’m not breaking out of the Garrison for your mystery shack that might not even exist.”

Yet somehow, that is precisely what they ended up doing that evening. Hunk mumbled complaints, but Lance didn’t mind. He took it as payback for convincing him to come along. Hunk would have been lying to both of them if he had said he wasn’t curious. Once free from the Garrison, Lance grabbed Hunk by the wrist and ran with him, dragging him like the boy did. He hoped that would somehow help him remember where they had gone that night.

If whatever this was really was calling to him, like he thought, then he would have had no issue finding it. It was cold, despite being a desert. Lance was undeterred. He looked around as they ran, and the surroundings became familiar to him, like he had been there a thousand times before. They must have been close.

And then, there it was, in plain sight. An old shack, neglected and abandoned, its panels barely standing. Lance felt like he was home. He released Hunk’s wrist and approached, slowly, lips parted in awe. It felt bittersweet being here with Hunk. A guilty pang settling in the pit of his stomach. Lance needed answers, and this was the only place he felt he was going to get them.

The door didn’t open - locked, of course. Lance rolled his eyes and tried to slam his shoulder into the door. With every slam, and every bang, the only damage he did was to his shoulder. He held it, wincing, and Hunk took over. With his strength, it didn’t take long for the door to be forced open. Lance loosened it, he lied to himself.

He was the first one to step inside, looking around the dark shack. Okay, this wouldn’t do. He pulled his phone out from his pocket, using the torch to look around. So far, there was nothing there that he recognised. Maybe he was wrong, he thought with a frown. Lance moved the light to the walls, and found something. He recognised it, at least in part.

He around at the papers, maps, plans. Lance didn’t know what any of this meant, tracing a hand on the papers. This had to be important, if not to him, then to someone else. He turned to Hunk, wide-eyed, not sure whether to be glad or horrified. Lance felt like he was losing his mind, but he couldn’t have been if this was what he had seen in his dream.

“It’s real,” Lance said quietly. “I’m not losing my mind. This is all real.”

“But how? Look man, I believe you and all, and this is pretty much how you explained it, but… How is this possible?” Hunk asked, taking a step closer to the wall and taking a better look. He pulled curious faces at it, as he tried to decipher this.

“That’s just it. I don’t know, but I know I was right.” Lance sighed, before pulling up the camera app on his phone. “We can’t stay here all night. Well, we could, but can’t study this without light. I can't find a light in here, either. My phone’s gonna die at some point. So…” The phone clicked a couple of times, as Lance took multiple photos. Thank God for flash. “Besides, I can check this out better when we get back.”

Satisfied he’d taken all the photos he needed, he slid his phone back into his pocket. This was surreal, his heart was pounding in his chest, but this meant he wasn’t just imagining it. Now he needed to know how much was real. The boy could have been real, too. What if those weren’t just dreams?

Now Lance was hitting the real conspiracy theories.

They left the shack, and Lance looked around it with a hum. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, another clue maybe, but he didn’t find anything. He did find something covered by a tarp. Lance pulled it off, and found what seemed to be a hover bike. Huh, alright. He turned to Hunk with a smile, but Hunk’s face paled.

“Oh no, absolutely not. You can’t be serious.”

“I so am. I’m gonna find a key for this bad boy, and we’ll ride it back,” Lance grinned.

“Okay, nope. You've dragged me all the way out here, so I should get at least one say. This is my say - we are not riding the weird bike.”

Lance thought that was fair, but he wasn't going to be happy about it. The walk back was quiet, both unsure what to talk about. Lance felt like a conspiracy theorist, and Hunk didn't seem to buy any of it. It's fine, Lance wouldn't have believed it if it was the other way, either. Still, his scepticism hurt. Lance just couldn't explain why this was calling to him, but it was. He needed to know where this all lead.

When they got back to their own rooms, safe and sound, he looked through the photos, over and over again, as if somehow they’d make sense if he looked at them long enough. The neat handwriting wasn’t his own, he knew that much, but he had a vague recollection of it. Everything was so vaguely familiar to him, and he hated it. He zoomed in, trying to read what the writing said. While the writing was clear, the subject was not. Lance groaned, deciding to sleep instead. His head was killing him.

***

_ Lance didn't know why he liked to start these fights. He claimed the boy was a rival, both of them neck and neck. Yet, not once did he notice Lance. Perhaps he just wanted to be noticed, but it never worked. All Lance ever did was make the boy mad. _

_ “And who the hell are you, anyway?” the boy snapped, after Lance irritated him one too many times. _

_ “You seriously still don’t know my name?” Lance huffed, disbelieving. It stung, but he brushed it off. There had to be a way to make the guy - whoever he was - remember him. “I’m Lance, but you can call me the guy of your dreams.” He winked, adding finger guns. _

_ The boy raised his hands in defeat, walking away. “Oh my fucking God.” As he turned away, Lance swore he saw a hint of a blush on the boy’s cheeks. _

_ “Hey! Get back here! Don't walk away from me!” Lance yelled. Old habits die hard. _

***

Another dream, another morning where Lance woke up, feeling as awful as ever. This time, however, he wished for an extra five minutes. He wanted to see the boy more clearly, to be able to memorize his face. Lance wanted to know more, and it killed him that he didn't know.

He grabbed his phone from his bedside table, unlocking to the photos he had taken last night. Of course he would have a dream like that if the photos were the last thing he saw last night.

For the rest of the day, Lance flickered between paying attention in class and looking at the photos under his desk. He would figure out what this meant. From the maps, the boy was looking for something in the desert. Energy source? What sort of energy? Lance had so many questions, and he knew his answers were in that shack somewhere.

That night, Lance convinced Hunk to sneak out with him. He resisted at first, of course, because he felt there was nothing there. By the end, Lance was leading the pair through the corridors of the Garrison. As they passed through, Lance saw someone else trying to sneak out as well - Pidge. Lance was just going to leave her, but he was too curious not to check out what she was doing.

Hunk didn’t argue when Lance suggested trailing her. He probably thought this meant they wouldn't have to go to the shack. The pair followed her up to the rooftops, and that was the beginning of the end of their time on Earth.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Lance held his hands over his face. “You,” he said, before pointing them at his boy, “know Shiro. The Takashi Shirogane. You’re kidding.” _

_ The boy snorted. “Not kidding. He’s one of my closest friends.” _

_ “Okay, no way. One of my best friends is friends with my hero. This is like, dream come true. I've gotta meet him, dude.” Lance grinned excitedly. _

_ “If you’re lucky, I’ll introduce you.” _

***

Lance did meet Shiro, but it wasn't thanks to some dream boy. Lance was his right-hand man thanks to his role in Voltron. When he received his paladin uniform, he couldn’t help but frown a little. Red was awful on him, but he shrugged it off. At least it wasn't orange. There were worst things to complain about, like Zarkon, or the Galra.

Lance was lucky - he had become not only a fighter pilot for Earth, but for the whole universe. This was all of his dreams come true at once, and he couldn’t even explain how exciting it was. He loved his job, he loved all the perks of it. When he applied for the Garrison, this wasn't what he expected. It was far better than anything he could dream of.

Okay, he did have one complaint. Lance didn't really like being stranded on a planet, unable to get in touch with anyone else. Red was down, and Lance had no choice but to step outside, see if that would allow better signal to contact the others. That was when he heard a crackle, and heard a cough. He gasped softly, relief and worry mingling at once.

“Hello? Who's there?”

“Lance?” He heard Shiro choke on the other end. “Thank goodness. If you don’t mind giving me a hand over here, I’d appreciate it.”

Shit. Okay, Lance could do this. He ran, trying to find where he thought he saw another ship crash. This was the worst time to be separated. Everyone else was unreachable, even the ship. What the hell was Lance supposed to do? Deep breaths, keep calm. As soon as he found Shiro, they'd find a way back together. Now was not the time to panic.

Lance ran as quickly as he could, crossing a steep canyon. Thankfully, Shiro wasn't far. When he mentioned giving him a hand, Lance imagined a monster of some kind. What he didn’t expect was a guy in a hood, talking to Shiro. He had a strange face - a mask, or just a weird alien face, Lance couldn’t tell - and a sword on his back with an odd purple glow. The guy was distracted, and Lance smirked. Good. He pulled out his bayard, lining his shot with the guy’s head. Shiro looked over and raised his hands suddenly.

“Lance! Stand down, it's alright. It's--”

The stranger brought a finger to their face in a shushing motion, looking over at Lance for a moment too long. The person was locked in a staring contest with Lance, and it felt like he couldn't move. Before Lance could think about doing anything, however, the guy was running away. There was a need in Lance’s being to chase after him; something told Lance that he could not let this guy go.

“Hey! Get back here!” he shouted, before he started to run.

As he ran past Shiro, Lance heard him groan, slumping back to the floor. The mystery guy would have to wait, as Shiro clearly couldn't. He stopped, turning back round to him. Lance crouched down, checking Shiro over. He had a nasty wound on his side, glowing, and Lance was panicking again. He didn’t know what to do about this. He put his hand over it, hesitating between touching it and not touching it.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Lance asked quietly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know either way.

Shiro laughed weakly. “It’s going to take a lot more than a glowing wound to keep me down.”

That did nothing to ease Lance, but this wasn’t the time to worry. Instead, he got to work building a fire to keep Shiro warm. With the lions still down, there was nothing they could do except wait for rescue. Shiro was still slumped against a wall, applying pressure to his wound. If they didn’t make contact with the ship, Shiro would soon die. This was only getting worse and worse.

Lance needed something to take his mind off it and he needed to keep Shiro talking. If Shiro was talking, he was focused and, most importantly, awake. Lance wasn't trained in anything like this, and even if he had, he was pretty sure that glowing space wounds would have never come up.

“So,” Lance started, poking at the coals with his bayard. “Who was that guy? You know him?”

Shiro looked away. “I don’t know him, all I know it he saved my life.

Lance didn't buy it, not for one second, but he knew better than to question authority. Shiro knew something, and for whatever reason, he wasn't sharing what he knew. Maybe he thought he was protecting Lance, but that wasn’t good enough for him. Lance would just figure it out by himself, after they got off this planet.  _ If _ they found a way out.

“That guy could've at least helped us out, or something. I mean…” Lance gestured at Shiro.

“Hah, don’t worry about me. But if something happens…” he placed a hand on Lance's shoulder, then shook his head. “No, we can talk about this later.”

He was a little curious, but he was right, they could talk about this later, when they weren’t about to die. Lance leaned against Shiro, hoping their shared body heat would be enough.

***

_ Lance made his way to the training room, backpack slung over his shoulder. He peeked in and saw his boy by himself, taking out the training dummies. Rather plain, but it was the style and flair that caught Lance’s eye every time. He watched him, a dumb smile on his face, before his boy spotted him and stopped. He pulled his dark shirt to his face, wiping the sweat and dirt. Lance clapped, earning him a frown. _

_ “How long have you been stood there?” He groaned. _

_ “Not long, a couple of minutes.” The frown did not disappear. “C'mon, that was amazing. You're like a little assassin with that dagger thing,” Lance said. “Besides, I know you. You probably haven't eaten in, like, 3 hours. Or even had a drink. With how much you’re sweating right now, that’s not a good thing. _

_ The guy looked like he was about to argue, but he realised he was in the wrong. He sat down with Lance, who grabbed his backpack and pulled out a sandwich and a bottle of water. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. His boy took both gratefully, mumbling a thank you before getting started. _

_ Lance looked over at him when he finished eating. The boy leaned his back against the wall, head back and breathing heavily. How could one guy look so pretty, even when he was gross and sweaty? Lance thought his heart was going to explode. The boy opened an eye to look over at Lance, and he felt the blood rush from his body. _

_ “What.” _

_ “Uh...” Lance swallowed. “I was just thinking about your dagger. Can I take a look?” _

_ His dream boy hesitated, before holding it out to him, handle first. Lance whistled as he admired it. It was certainly an interesting shape, the kind that should have been decorative. Feeling it, however, Lance knew it was meant to be used. The blade was worn, and the hilt had been bandaged, with the bandages were coming apart. Maybe if he just... He unwrapped it partially, revealing a glowing symbol of some kind. What the-- _

_ “What are you doing?” _

***

“Lance? Hey, wake up,” Shiro said, nudging him gently.

Lance groaned, eyes fluttering open. God, they were still stranded in some random, shitty planet. He sat up, realising he had been leaning on Shiro, and drooling just a little bit. Lance wiped his mouth, embarrassed. He wasn’t supposed to fall asleep - he was supposed to make sure Shiro was still conscious. He likely didn’t sleep for long, but that was hardly the point.

Now that Lance was awake, however, he just felt groggy. Why did those weird dreams always leave him feeling like death? He rubbed his face, adjusting his eyes to the surroundings. He remembered what happened, Shiro’s wound, and that guy. Lance needed answers, but Shiro wasn’t spilling. He wasn’t usually the type to question his leaders, not really, but this was something else. He did not like feeling lied to.

“Shiro?” Lance asked, trying to gather his courage. “How’re you holding up, man?”

“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me,” Shiro smiled.

Lance opened his mouth again, this time to ask about the stranger, but he never got the chance. Lucky for both of them, they had been found. Lance thought they would have all the time in the world to talk about this.

***

_ Lance was sitting in the common room when he’d heard the news, whispered and passed like a dirty secret. He didn’t listen, thinking it was just a cruel joke by people with nothing better to do. People around him were getting upset over the news, and Lance thought this joke had gone too far. He realised this had the truth when he had not seen his boy all day, and when the Garrison issued an official statement. _

_ Takashi Shirogane and Matthew and Samuel Holt had died. The Garrison labelled it as a piloting error, of course, something about an explosion. The details didn’t matter. Lance didn't believe it. Shiro was a skilled pilot, he was exactly what Lance wanted to be. But this wasn’t the time for his hero worship. Lance left the common room, almost running across the halls. and went back to the dorms, where he knew he was needed. He knocked gently when he arrived at a very familiar door. _

_ “Go away,” the guy on the other side growled. _

_ Lance placed his hand on the door, lowering his voice. “Hey, man. It’s me. Let me in?” _

_ He heard the door unlock, and the door opened, revealing his boy with red eyes. Bags clung under his eyes, and Lance gasped. His boy grabbed him by the shirt and tugged him backwards into his room. The guy pulled Lance in for a hug, burying his face in his shoulder, and letting himself cry into Lance. Lance rubbed his back softly, not knowing what else he could do. _

***

Lance woke up with his face buried in the pillow in his arms, nestled comfortably in his chest. His dreams were getting worse, becoming more vivid. And yet, he still had no idea who the boy of his dreams was. All he knew was he had black hair, with some nice dark brown in there. He had beautiful violet eyes, with a hard stare that made Lance weak at the knees. Lance never tired of seeing him, but he wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to see him, or because he couldn't always see him.

He had to push back those thoughts. He couldn’t be falling for a dream guy, someone who wasn’t even real. Even if he was beautiful, even if those rare smiles brightened up even the darkest days. He kept the dreams close to his heart, even though he should have forgotten about them. This was just plain weird to him, coming from the guy who piloted a lion-shaped ship.

The dreams became more frequent after that guy who saved Shiro first appeared. Most of the dreams were pointless, just snippets of hanging out with the boy in his dreams. The longer dreams became more intense, almost like he could reach over and really touch him. Lance wanted to touch him so badly.

He groaned and got up, making his way to the bridge. Lance's focus was almost immediately gone when he saw everyone else, but he tuned back in when Coran was talking about a swap shop. In other words, Coran wanted to go to a space mall. Oh man, it had been so long since he had been to a mall, and Lance was understandably excited. This was supposed to be serious business, but no one was going to notice Lance goofing off a little, right?

Lance wandered around, trying to find a shop that sold scaultrite lenses. Hopefully something around here sold the stuff, but nothing was going to stock 10,000 year old technology. Lance still tried, looking around at every store. Somehow, he stumbled on an Earth store, complete with a cow. The shop owner even looked like a traditional alien - a thin grey body and bug eyed. Lance snorted and took a look inside. No, Earth did not deal in scaultrite, but it was similar to going to a ‘specialist’ shop when the owner had no clue about the subject. He could already tell it was going to be a mess of a store.

The store was full of tat, and a random assortment of items. But he did find a small video game section, which of course he gravitated to. There were mostly classics for ancient consoles, like Final Fantasy XV, or Death Stranding. He grabbed one box and took a look; that certainly wasn't any Earth language Lance could distinguish. He raised an eyebrow and went to put down the box, when he saw another hand reach for another case.

Lance took a casual look next to him. The person was a little shorter than him, wearing an odd outfit. Whatever, Lance had been in space long enough not to question it too much. But he’d seen that outfit before. He hummed, and the person looked over at him. A human face, piercing violet eyes... a mask came on over their face, stopping Lance from seeing more. It felt like a door had been slammed in his face.

“Shit,” they hissed. Lance knew that voice.

“Wait a sec,” Lance asked, dumbfounded. “I know you. Why do I know you?”

They ran away, and Lance chased after them as fast as he could. Lance may have been quick, but he wasn't quick enough. The stranger was soon out of sight, and Lance was just getting angrier. If he just ran a little quicker, he could-- 

He felt a tug on his collar, choking him and stopping him.

“Where're you doing, man? We're out of here! We ran into some trouble and... Lance, c’mon!”

Lance followed Hunk, and managed to find Pidge, who had somehow obtained a cow. Wait, was that the cow from the Earth shop? No more questions. Hunk and Lance hopped on the cow, and teamed with Pidge to find Coran. He hopped on, and the four of them were free. Lance officially lost his chance at harassing the stranger, but they were free.

With the lenses, the ship could finally move again. That was one less worry. Lance spotted Shiro, and in the back of his mind, he wondered if he should ask about that guy. It was clearly the same guy as before, the one who saved Shiro back on that weird planet. Shiro caught Lance staring in thought, and Lance quickly looked away, lying about needing to sleep. Today was too much for him.

***

_ Lance moved quietly along the halls of the garrison, hood over his head. He ducked under windows and hid from patrolling officers. This wasn't his first time breaking out, but it was his first time moving through the halls alone. His destination was another room, and once he arrived, he tapped a pattern on the door. On the other side, he heard soft shuffling. _

_ “What are you doing?” His boy asked, after opening the door. _

_ “We have today off, right?” Lance whispered. “So, I'm taking you out.” _

_ “Are you joking, Lance?” He laughed softly, and Lance thought he was going to melt into a pathetic puddle. Even the way he said his name was heaven. “You know you don't have to act like you're breaking out, don't you?” _

_ “Don’t spoil my fun, Kogane!” Lance whined. _

_ The guy rolled his eyes, unimpressed, before ducking back into his room. Lance waited for a moment, and the boy came back out, with a bandana over his face and a smile in his eyes. Lance snorted; it felt like they were secret agents, but they were just two losers from the Garrison. God, Lance loved him. Wait. Love? No, no, absolutely not. _

_ The city wasn't that far from the Garrison, but the trip was still long enough to warrant a day trip there. And if it was a day trip, it was almost a date. Okay Lance, calm down, no need to get high hopes. They got on the bus and sat down, Lance making his best effort to stay awake, but he was so tired already. Why did he get up so early? His boy would just have to endure him whining all day, but that would be no change from the usual. _

_ Lance was glad when the bus finally stopped, hopping off the bus and stretching. The cool morning air brushed against his face, and he sighed in relief. Why was the bus so damn hot, anyway? He turned to the boy with an excited grin, and off they went to their little adventure in the city. _

_ Lance had been to the city a thousand times, and he had been to the mall there numerous times. But he had never been with his boy. His heart fluttered in his chest, lungs full of cotton. Lance dragged him everywhere he could think of, any excuse to hold his wrist. Lance could barely remember what they did, but he did remember his legs killing him after the day was up. He asked his boy to carry him, and was promptly rejected with a snort. Rude. _

_ Lance struggled to stay awake on the way back. Night had settled in, and the darkness made it so hard to stay awake. Maybe he could lean on the boy and fall asleep. Any excuse to touch, he supposed. He didn’t want to disturb him. The guy was leaning against the window, watching the outside world pass him by. Lance couldn’t help but feel so soft inside just looking at him. The boy glanced over at him, before moving to face him. _

_ The boy struggled with himself, biting his lips together, before hissing out a breath. “You know, I really like…” He grabbed the bottom of his shirt, fiddling hard with it, “...being out with you. I didn't think I'd make any friends in the Garrison, but you proved me wrong,” his boy said, not really looking at Lance. _

_ Lance smiled at him, enjoying this rare moment of softness. The moonlight shining in from the windows reflected beautifully in his face, rays of light piercing through his dark hair. Lance’s heart was going wild, and in a moment, without thinking, his hand was on his boy’s. He didn't try to move away, which Lance took as a good sign. _

_ His boy looked over at him, brow raised, but his expression softened. He held Lance's hand in his so gently that Lance thought he might actually die. Both of their faces were on fire, neither of them looking at the other one. But the most brilliant idea appeared in Lance's head. _

_ He reached over and cupped his boy's face with his free hand, thumb trailing over his cheekbone. His cheek was so hot, Lance thought his hand would burn. He was so cute, Lance couldn’t handle it. He was in so deep for this boy. _

_ “I don't have to go into space to look at the stars, when I can see them all in your eyes.” Lance smiled like a dork at him. “I really like you, Keith.” _

_ Keith looked a mix of unimpressed and amused, but he held his hand over Lance's, leaning into the touch and closing his eyes. “You don't have to use your cheesy pickup lines on me.” He almost laughed. “Lance, I _


	3. Chapter 3

“Fuck!”

Lance felt his heart snap in two when he woke up, a physical pain in his chest. He grabbed the pyjama fabric over his heart in bunches, as if that would somehow stop the pain. He wasn’t sure what hurt more; the feeling of not knowing the response, or the frustration of falling in love with someone he had never truly met. Lance squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to cry, but failing miserably.

It felt like Lance had lost everything in that moment, waking up alone in the castle-ship. Everything felt so wrong, a piece of his heart having been ripped away. He wiped sleep and tears with the sleeve of his pyjamas, trying to calm his sobs. While usually he would wake up groggy, empty, that morning was different. He grabbed a pillow from under his head and held it close to his chest, an effort to calm down. He needed to hold something, but more importantly, he needed to be held.

His heart missed Keith, even if his brain did not remember him. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. But it hit Lance in that moment - his dream boy had a name. His name was Keith Kogane.

Maybe he was still making it up, but Lance wasn’t creative enough to give his fantasy a name. All the memories he had, though mostly vague, seemed to slot into place. If Keith was real, they knew each other in the Galaxy Garrison. They were friends - close friends, in fact - and Lance had fallen in love with him, hopelessly so. Not only that, but Keith knew Shiro.

If Keith knew Shiro, was it really a long shot to say that the person in the strange clothes he kept seeing was Keith? Yes, but there seemed to be no other reason for Shiro to trust a stranger with his life like that. They looked human, too, in that brief moment in the space mall. No. Lance wasn’t doing this anymore. He wasn’t going to sit here in a land of theories and what ifs anymore.

He kicked the blanket off and ran across the castle-ship’s halls. He had no idea what time it was, nor did he care. The first place to check was the bridge, and from the lowered level of the lights, Lance determined the ship was in its nocturnal phase. Dammit, he had napped for too long, and Shiro was likely asleep. Pfft, like that would stop Lance right now. He was on a mission.

He ran back to the rooms, and as soon as he reached Shiro’s room, he banged on the door. His arms were folded over his chest as he waited, tapping the floor with his foot. Shiro opened the door, rubbing his eyes. He looked concerned when he saw Lance, who frowned hard at him.

“Who the hell is Keith Kogane?” Lance asked as soon as Shiro opened the door.

He squinted, confused. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb with me.” Lance took a step closer, making Shiro take one step back into his room. Oh shit, intimidation was working. No time to get nervous now. “I know you know him. I know you two were close, and I know he was that guy who saved you when we were stranded.”

If Shiro were more awake, Lance was certain this would never have worked. But the older man conceded, letting Lance into his room. He felt awkward and uncomfortable, leaning against a wall. It made him feel more intimidating and more powerful, even if Shiro was taller and far stronger.

“Please, just tell me the truth. I feel like I’m going nuts, here. I have these dreams, and I’m not sure if they’re real, or just stuff my brain’s made up. So if you know Keith, you’ve gotta tell me. I seriously think I’m losing my mind, and I don’t know.” Lance ran a hand through his hair, exhaling softly, trying to calm himself. “I don’t know what’s going on anymore. I don’t know what’s real anymore. I’ve had these dreams since the Garrison. At first, they were just dumb dreams, I thought. But that’s what led us to find Blue, and find you. I just... Shiro, I need the truth.”

Shiro listened to him in silence, frowning. From the look on his face, Lance thought he really had lost it, that Shiro didn’t know him. Lance shrunk, looking away. He just wanted to cry again. Lance really had lost his mind, the pressure of being a fighter pilot being too much to deal with at home. Now they were in space, the fantasies became more vivid because this was far more stressful. He pieced things together that should not have been pieced together. Shiro put his hands on Lance’s shoulders.

“He made me promise not to tell you anything.” Shiro squeezed his shoulders, lowering his gaze. “I don’t think he expected you to remember him. I didn’t keep this from you because I wanted to.”

Lance still couldn’t look at Shiro, instead looking to the right. “I can’t not know anymore. I need to know more than what little I do know. I’m sorry, Shiro, but I need to know.”

Shiro paused, releasing Lance and sitting down. “Sit down with me. I’ll tell you about Keith.”

Lance was hesitant, but he sat with Shiro, and he got to hear everything Shiro knew about Keith. Shiro described a pretty boy with dark hair and violet eyes, who could bring someone down with a look. A boy who didn’t smile for just anyone, but when he did, it was something else. He kept his distance from people, but once he trusted someone, he was loyal. Keith was a sweet guy who just wanted to love and be loved.

Shiro told him anecdotes about Keith, things Lance vaguely remembered, and things he did not. Keith was a fellow fighter pilot, just like Lance. That explained things, like why they shared classes. Perhaps Hunk's original pilot was Keith, but Lance didn't know.

“But, one thing’s bugging me - why can’t I remember him? Why doesn’t Hunk remember him? Why can you remember him?” Lance asked, jealousy seeping into his tone like venom.

Shiro shook his head. “I don’t know, Keith didn’t tell me. You’ll have to ask him yourself, if you get the chance.” Shiro put a hand on his shoulder. “Feel any better?”

No. Lance had so many questions, but Shiro couldn’t answer any of them - he needed Keith. He had no idea how to get to him, though. “Yeah. Thanks, Shiro. I’ll leave you to sleep.”

Lance got up and left the room. Keith was real. Those three words echoed in his mind, acting as the background noise to a thousand other questions. He needed to know why his memory - along with possibly Hunk's - had been wiped. Lance needed to know how Keith was in space, and how much of this was real. He needed to know what was going on exactly. Most importantly, he needed to know why Keith abandoned him.

It didn't matter how Lance felt about him, either now or back then, but he knew damn well they were close. Lance had called Keith one of his best friends - a title one did not throw around. Lance got back into bed, but couldn't get back to sleep. He wanted to sneak out in Red, try to find Keith. He didn't know where to start looking. It was as if Keith always appeared out of nowhere.

However, this wasn't the time for his relationship dramas. Lance couldn't do this anymore, he couldn't keep hurting himself over this. He needed to swallow his feelings; Keith was his past, as much as he wished it wasn't the case. Even if Lance could have him back in his life, things were too different. Lance was too different. Neither of them were the same boys they were back in the Garrison.

***

_ Keith looked off into nothingness, focused on one spot. When Lance put his hand on the small of his back, he didn't react. He sighed softly, rubbing in small circles. _

_ “Keith? You okay?” Lance asked softly. _

_ Without a word, Keith moved, wrapping his arms so tightly around Lance. Even then, he felt like there was something more to this hug than he could figure out. Lance held him back just as tight, and Keith shuddered. It was almost like a sob. _

_ “Hey, c'mon, speak to me,” Lance said, rubbing his back. _

_ “I'm sorry,” Keith whispered, holding him closer. _

_ “Why are you sorry? What did you do?” he laughed half heartedly. _

_ Keith didn't answer, burying himself more into Lance instead. He held Keith as he shuddered, trying to keep himself calm. He wished he could help, but he didn't know what to do. This was all he could do. _

***

Lance groaned as he woke up, weighed down by a ton of bricks. He was so sick of this. His heart ached for Keith, but his head was being rational. Even if all he wanted was to hold Keith, to ask what was wrong.

No. This would end now.

This was costing him his focus. In every spare moment, he thought about Keith, and not every spare moment was a good time. His thoughts would catch his attention mid mission, and his breath hitched every time. Those were not good times to think of Keith. A part of him told him he needed to find Keith, get it out of his system. .

With time, Lance was getting better with focusing. He could focus for just long enough in a fight to not be a hindrance, but just once in a while, he would-- 

“Lance?” Pidge's voice snapped him back to reality. “Focus.”

She sounded irritated - this was the thousandth time Lance had zoned out in a mission. He was meant to keep watch, but if he kept zoning out like this, it could kill both of them. He held his activated Bayard on his hip, waiting for a Galra drone to come for them. Worse, it could have been an actual Galra. Lance swallowed hard. He and Pidge would not have stood a chance.

Then a thought about Keith entered his brain. How did he know the Galra didn't scramble his brain? For example, Shiro was the only other person who remembered Keith, when someone else should know him. Anyone. Shiro was captured by the Galra, they could have easily scrambled Shiro's brain.

Wait, what was that about focusing?

“Wait here, I have a plan. Keep watch, okay?” Pidge instructed.

“Sure, yeah, leave me alone out h--”

And with that, Pidge was gone. Oh good. Lance leaned against the wall by the door she had just gone through, groaning. Great, yeah, leave him alone with his ridiculous thoughts. That sounded like a fantastic idea. He chewed on his cheek, keeping watch. In the empty halls of the ship, he swore he heard the faint echo of a footstep. Lance kicked himself off the wall, aiming his Bayard where he thought he heard a noise.

Mistake. Lance's arm was grabbed, twisted behind his back, and he screamed. He dropped his Bayard, watching it clatter to the floor. He was pinned roughly against the wall, a blade against his back. By a stroke of luck, Lance stomped on his foot, hard enough to hurt. His attacker yelled, releasing him, and Lance grabbed his Bayard, holding it up to his attacker.

Lance hesitated. Parts of their skin tight suit seemed to glow in the dark, a bright purple. Galra purple. With Lance caught off guard, his attacker came at him, sword in hand.

“Get out of my way, paladin,” they spat.

He brought his blade down, and Lance activated his shield just in time to deflect his blow. His attacker struck again, blade crashing against the shield, struggling against it. A symbol on the hilt caught his eye; purple, glowing, and Lance knew he had seen it before. It was in the Garrison. He saw it when he unwrapped that dagger, and he knew who it belonged to.

“Keith?” The name escaped from his mouth. The pressure from his attacker's blade loosened, and Lance's eyes widened. “I'm right, aren't I?”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Keith scoffed.

Lance pushed harder against him. “You're Keith Kogane. You come from Earth, like me. You're my...” he shook his head. “I know you know who I am, and you can't keep running away from me, Keith.”

Keith hesitated, before releasing his grip. Lance, relieved, put his Bayard away with a soft smile. Keith sighed, putting his sword away. He took a step closer.

“If you know who I am,” Keith said, “you'll know how sorry I am for this.”

Lance didn't have a chance to ask. He felt a flash of pain and then, nothing.

***

_ “Do you think she’ll like me?” _

_ Keith tugged on his shirt nervously, looking away. Lance smiled at him, pulling him in for a soft hug. Keith sighed, and tried hard to relax inside the embrace. _

_ “Trust me dude, she’ll adopt you in like, five seconds.” _

_ Keith laughed a little. “That’s reassuring.” _

_ “Don’t be scared, no one’s gonna hurt you. I bet she’ll love you almost as much as I--” _

***

“Lance!”

Shiro’s voice shouted over communications, and Lance groaned, finally coming to. He looked around, expecting to be on that ship, but he wasn’t. Somehow, he was in Red’s cockpit, his head pounding. He couldn’t remember what happened, even when he tried. His vision had blurred, but there was one thought that entered his head.

“Pidge,” he gasped, “where’s Pidge?”

“I’m here,” she said, and Lance sighed in relief.

“Lance, what happened?” Shiro asked.

Good question. He remembered boarding with Pidge, and he remembered walking around with her. He remembered that she asked him to keep watch, and that he was alone. Then, he wasn’t alone, and he remembered a fight. He remembered with a quiet gasp - Keith. That had to be him. But his head was swimming, and he needed to focus on one thing at a time.

“I don’t know. One minute, I’m by myself, next I’m fighting against this guy, and now I’m here.” Lance stretched. “I don’t even know how I got here.”

Did Keith put him there? He didn’t know why he would, but it was the only explanation. He rubbed his face, trying to make sense of the situation. What did Keith even do to him? How long was he out for?

“I guess Pidge doesn’t know, either?” Lance asked.

“No, same as you,” she said.

Lance groaned. This wasn’t helpful. “I’ll head back to the ship, don’t worry, guys.”

Lance wasn’t going to mention Keith, not in front of everyone. He could talk to Shiro about it later, when it was just them. For now, Lance pretended he knew nothing. He got back to the ship, and went to his room immediately. He wanted to sleep this day of, but now, he just had more and more questions.


	4. Chapter 4

The alarm blared, sounding in every room of the castle. There was quiet panic as everyone converged onto one point - an enemy had infiltrated the castle, a Galra. How they had broken in, no one knew, but the team knew that the infiltrator must be stopped. Lance moved quietly in the halls, behind Shiro. They followed Coran’s - very, very useless - instructions. 

Hunk, Pidge and Allura formed one team, while Lance and Shiro formed another. They knew the intruder would be passing through here, and when they did, the pair would be ready. Lance held his bayard at his hip, waiting. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, his breaths shallow and quiet.

Lance didn’t have to wait for long. Footsteps echoed through the halls, sounding closer, and a figure turned the corner. The intruder hissed, trying to barge past, but Shiro was ready. With a well-timed sweep of his leg, he knocked the intruder off their feet. The intruder turned the topple to a front roll, quickly getting back to their feet. No way were they getting past Lance.

“I told you to stay out of my way,” they hissed.

The intruder charged straight for Lance, sword ready to swing. Lance held the gun against his hip, heart thudding in his chest. He fired three shots, but the intruder evaded every single one of them, and was closing in on Lance. His blood ran cold, and in his panic, he held up his Bayard for defence. He braced himself for the impact of metal against metal.

A bright light flashed in his hands, and he felt his Bayard shift. The intruder stopped, as did Lance. His gun had been replaced, changing for a sword. Lance looked at the sword, then up at the skilled intruder, realising he was totally outmatched. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try, though.

The intruder crashed their sword into Lance's, the clank deafening him. They swung again, but Lance dodged. His lack of experience in hand to hand combat would be the death of him. Lance swung his sword, but the intruder blocked it, knocking it out of his hands. It clattered on the floor, and Lance winced. He was bringing fists to a sword fight, and this wasn't going to end well for him.

Lance dodge rolled away from the intruder, grabbing his Bayard in a fluid movement. He was crouched, and the intruder took their chance. Lance froze. This couldn't be how he died. He rose his arm over his face, bringing up his shield. He knew that it wouldn't hold forever. There was only one thing he could do. He slashed his sword up diagonally, and the intruder jumped back. He was just slow enough for the sword to tear through the suit, exposing light-coloured flesh. Blood began to seep from the shallow scratches - red, human blood.

“Keith,” Lance breathed, both relieved yet angry.

He knew it had to be - he was certain anyone else would have killed him by now. Keith growled,angry, swinging for Lance again. He should have known better than to let his guard down. Lance brought his sword back up, clashing together. He was fucked. He didn't have Keith's long term experience with swords and blades.

“Give up while you still can,” Keith said.

“No way! I will never give up with you, and you should know that, Keith,” Lance hissed.

“Lance!” Shiro shouted. “That's enough.”

“No!” Lance shouted back. “He could be anyone, but he's still an intruder, an enemy!"

Shiro pushed himself between Lance and Keith. “I said that's enough.” He turned his back to Lance. “Keith, you're obviously here for a reason.”

Yes, and that reason was murder. Lance looked at Shiro in disbelief, but Shiro didn't react. Keith finally pulled down his hood and removed the mask, revealing himself. His hair had gotten longer, bangs covering his eyes, hardened into a glare. Lance frowned, his worst fear coming true. Keith wasn't the sweet boy he fell in love with anymore.

“Why are you doing this?” Lance asked, arms folded across his chest. “Are you a good guy? A bad guy? Why is it that wherever I look, you're there?”

“It's none of your business,” Keith replied flatly, putting his sword away.

“None of..." Lance scoffed. “It's our business when you break onto our ship!”

Shiro sighed. “Lance-”

“No! Okay, this is bull. You think you can just waltz in, just like that, and just, what? What is even your goal, here?” Lance spat.

Shiro put his hand on Lance's shoulder, which he shrugged off. Not right now, not when he was so pissed off. Shiro took a deep breath, instead turning his attention to Keith.

“Come on, Keith, we have a lot to talk about.”

He placed his hand on the small of Keith's back, leading him away. Shiro shot Lance a look as he walked away, and Lance was just so  _ angry _ . He held his activated Bayard in his hands, looking down at it. Why did it change into a sword when fighting Keith? He deactivated it, not wanting to dwell on it. He flicked communications on, just to let everyone know what was going on, before turning them off. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He retreated to his room, alone.

When Lance thought he might get a chance to speak to Keith, he never thought it would be like this. Part of him thought Keith would have already been dead. He expected a tender reunion, holding onto Keith in tears. He expected relief. What he didn’t expect was to fight him off, or to come so close to killing each other. He never thought he would have the guts to hold a blade against him, let alone swing it.

Lance flumped down on his bed. This wasn’t at all how it was supposed to go. He was left with an ache in his heart, and a bitterness in his mouth that he couldn’t wash out. He wanted to be happy - he had found Keith - but he wasn't He couldn’t bring himself to feel much of anything right now. He laid down on his back, looking up at the ceiling, and allowing himself to daydream.

***

_ Summer evenings brought a cool respite from the painfully hot days. Lance was home for the summer, and as soon as he found out Keith had nowhere else to go, he asked his mom if Keith could come home with him. She agreed as long as they slept in separate rooms - not that it stopped them from sneaking around. _

_ In the evenings, after their chores, they laid out in the garden on a blanket. Keith laid on Lance's chest, listening to the thud of his heart. Lance had a tight arm around him. They looked up at the stars, content. _

_ “You ever think there could be aliens out there?” Lance asked, gesturing at the sky. _

_ “That's what we're trying to find out,” Keith said. _

_ “Mm. Fair point.” Lance rubbed Keith's arm absentmindedly. “But what if aliens were walking among us? Like, what if I was an alien?” _

_ “You’re weird, but you’re not an alien.” _

_ Lance laughed, kissing the top of Keith's head. When he looked up at the stars, he felt like he saw everything. He knew space was his destiny, but he had no idea how much of his life it would take. _

_ “Hey, man. When you’re a big fighter pilot out there in space, don’t you forget me, okay?” _

_ Keith frowned. “Don’t say that like it’s goodbye, Lance.” _

_ “Yeah, I know. I guess I’ll just miss you.” _

_ Keith rolled onto his front, holding Lance’s face in his hand. He rubbed his cheek with his thumb, and there was something in his eyes that Lance couldn’t explain. A smile played on his lips, soft. _

_ “I’m not going anywhere.” Even then, Lance felt like that was a lie. He scooted closer, bringing their foreheads together. “No matter what, I’ll always be by your side. Even if I’m not physically there, I’m always there in spirit.” _

_ “That’s so cheesy,” Lance whispered. Who was he kidding? He fucking loved cheesy. “Besides, you can’t go too far - you know I’ll just chase after you.” _

_ Keith snorted. “You need to learn to let go sometimes.” _

_ “Of you? Never.” _

***

Lance snapped himself out of his daydream, the stars of Earth’s sky replaced by the ceiling of his room. His head and heart were in two different places, and he hated it. Logically speaking, Keith was the enemy. He had broken onto the ship, fought against Voltron, almost killed both Pidge and Lance. He was no longer the boy in his dream, with stupid jokes and a warm smile. He was no longer the guy Lance fell for.

His heart refused to listen, spinning its own tales and justifications. Keith had skill. If he wanted to kill them, he would have. He could have overpowered both Lance and Shiro. His heart refused to believe Keith felt nothing, that he was that different. But of course he was different - war changed everything. Lance still wanted to hope.

Lance had so many questions for Keith that he didn’t know where to begin. It was likely he would never get a chance to ask; Shiro would interrogate him, then send him on his way. There was no way Shiro thought he was a threat. They were best friends. Lance placed his hands over his face, inhaling deeply. He could sit there, wallow and let Keith go, or he could do what he knew was the right thing.

He didn’t bother changing back into his casual clothes, he had no time. If he were Shiro, were would he have taken Keith? His room? Wait, no, that would be a security risk, in case he was some kind of double agent. The bridge? No, too vulnerable. The break room? Well, it didn’t hurt to check - it was casual enough to make Keith relax, but Shiro still would’ve had full control of the situation. Perfect. Lance smirked to himself - detective McClain did it again.

Lance ran through the halls, glancing around open doors just to check. He reached the break room, and he heard voices. He peeked in and, to his relief, it was just Shiro and Keith. He hung around, waiting until they finished their conversation before alerting them of his presence. He didn't intend on listening in - he didn't care what they were talking about.

“It’s not just me you have to explain yourself to, you know that,” Shiro said.

Keith sighed, the sort of sigh that tugged at Lance’s heartstrings. Lance wanted to hug him, but he had to pull himself together. He would not let his guard down. He poked his head around the door, and Shiro looked at Lance first, followed by Keith.

Looking at Keith in person was a little strange. He had grown used to the pretty boy in his dreams, with the bright violet eyes and shiny black hair. His hair had dulled, and his eyes had hardened. Lance knew that he had also changed, leaving him to wonder what Keith saw when he looked at Lance. Shiro smiled at Keith, squeezing his shoulder, before leaving the room. He shot Lance a knowing look as he walked past him.

Lance smiled weakly at Keith, who didn't react. This was going to be harder than he thought. He entered the room, but didn't know if he should have sat down with Keith. What if he didn't want him to? Why did things have to be so difficult? It had been a year - two years? Lance lost count - since Keith had left him. And right now, he was feeling the time. Finally, Keith patted the seat beside him, and Lance moved over to sit with him. He sat down, hands in his lap. Keith sighed.

"I know you. You probably have a thousand questions, and we have plenty of time. Ask whatever you want," Keith mumbled, looking down at his own lap.

Lance didn't know where to begin. He paused briefly, staring down at his hands. "You know what? Before I ask any questions, I think you need to tell me what happened. From the beginning."

***

The choice Keith made was the hardest choice he had ever made, but if he had to, he would have done it again and again.

Thanks to Lance, Keith made a breakthrough in his research in the strange energy. What started off as a strange conspiracy theory was shaping up into something more, and Keith needed to know where it led. This was once his project, but now, it was his and Lance's.

They found markings, energy patterns, and Lance even suggested enlisting his best friend's help. Keith was hesitant, letting someone else into their little project, but he bit his tongue. Keith promised they could ask Hunk if they were in a bind, but honestly, he hoped it would never come to that. Hunk was nice enough, but... no. It just wasn't right. It was  _ their _ project.

Keith wasn't sure what they were looking at. It had to be something alien, but that was as far as it got. Loose papers they had written out were safely tacked on a wall and hidden under a sheet in a shack, the front door locked. It was a shack that only Keith and Lance knew of - no one would find it. The Garrison couldn't know, and for now, no one else could know, not until they knew what they were looking at. They could have been making an incredible breakthrough in alien technology. Maybe - and this was wishful thinking - maybe they would find Matt and Shiro with this.

Keith often worked in the shack alone, as Lance wasn't as available as Keith was. He had a life to lead beyond him, and that was fine. Keith never expected him to give up everything for him. So instead, Keith used this time to work. If anything came up that was important, he could call Lance, and ask him to come to the shack. Unfortunately, Keith rarely had big news.

He unlocked the shack door, humming to himself. A chill ran down Keith's spine, like something was wrong. He swallowed dryly, opening the door slowly. He squinted in the low light, but he swore he saw something. Keith was imagining things. He turned the light on and, as he thought, there was nothing there.

He rolled his eyes, but he noticed the sheet fell off the 'conspiracy board', as Lance affectionately called it. He leaned down to pick it up, putting the sheet back on. A cold blade pressed against his throat. The air escaped from his lungs, eyes darting around for a means of escape.

“Explain yourself,” a voice behind him said.

Keith's eyes widened. He was used to fighting - drones, mostly - but not like this. He never thought he would actually have to use his training, especially with someone holding an actual knife to his throat. He didn't know the voice - it couldn't have been someone from the Garrison. That was something. He took in a deep breath, trying to keep calm.

“I have nothing to explain,” Keith spat. Great, aggress the attacker, that was bound to go well.

The blade pressed against his throat harder, and Keith's blood rang in his ears. “You've got some nerve, boy.”

If Keith was going to die, he wasn't going to die giving the enemy information, regardless of who they were. As far as Keith was concerned, anyone who held a knife to his throat was the enemy.

“What do you want?” he asked. If he could reach his knife, maybe he could fight off his attacker. If he could do it without alerting his attacker...

“I want answers. What is that all over your wall? Those photos? These notes? Where do they lead?” his attacker asked.

He didn't know. He really didn't. And if he knew, he wouldn't have been in a dingy shack. He would have been investigating whatever it was. He gritted his teeth. Carefully, he reached behind his back, trying to grab for the hilt, but he felt nothing. He kept trying, and trying, but he was grabbing air.

“And another thing. Who gave you this knife?” his attacker spat. Did this asshole steal his knife? Was that what was pressed to his throat? “Who did you steal this from?”

"I'm not a thief," Keith said.

Nor was he a liar; it was a gift from his mom before she left the family. But if he didn't even tell Lance that, why would he tell a stranger? His attacker let him go, only to pin him to the wall, facing his attacker, knife back to his throat.

“Bullshit. This knife bears the mark of Marmora. How did a mere human steal from a Galra?”

A what? Keith looked at his attacker - unusually tall, and with a tail. A tail. His attacker had a fucking tail. Keith was certain it was fake, until he saw it flicker. This wasn't just some weirdo in impressive cosplay. He had stumbled upon aliens, and now he was going to be murdered by one. He was going to die without ever figuring out any of this shit - he was going to die with so many regrets.

“It was a gift from my mom,” Keith said. “My mom, who I haven't seen since I was a baby. I'm not lying.”

He felt like he was begging for his life. He didn't want to give up now, not when he was so close to finding all the answers. Keith looked at his attacker's eyes - he assumed that was their eyes, but it could have been a mask - trying to remain intimidating.

“Your mother?” His attacker looked him over, humming curiously. “I see. This explains do much.”

“What?” Keith asked.

“Do you have any idea what you have uncovered?”

Keith didn't want to admit it, but he didn't. His attacker let him go, finally, and he held a hand to his throat. How close was he to dying? There were some things he didn't want to know. His attacker stuck the blade in one of the photos. It was a photo of yellow markings on a wall in a cave he had uncovered with Lance.

“You've stumbled on something much bigger than yourself. It's almost sad. You know so much, yet so little.”

They were right, Keith knew nothing. He looked at the wall, all the bits he had collected through the months. He realised something - he knew more than this alien did. This was leverage.

“Then help me understand,” Keith said. “Tell me yours, and I'll tell you mind.”

“You are not one of us.”

Keith growled in irritation. “Then let me be one of you.”

The alien stepped in front of him, towering over him. “Could you give up everything for knowledge? Would you be willing to die for it?”

Keith would have done anything to know. He knew this was bigger than himself, bigger than Earth or even the galaxy. He knew this was where he was meant to be. There was only one thing left for Keith to take care of.

“Do I get a chance to say goodbye?” he asked quietly.

The alien paused. “There will be a chance you won't make it back. Be quick.”

The alien - identifying themselves as Ryzak - handed Keith a device. The device could wipe the memories of anything and anyone. Keith didn't know why Ryzak trusted him. It was likely because Ryzak could easily overpower him, snapping him like a twig. Keith shook off the thought, making his way back to the Garrison.

He got back past lights out, but it was nothing new. He snuck back into his room, but a bright light flashed. Lance's phone screen faced Keith, light burning his retinas. He squinted, looking over at Lance. He grinned at Keith.

“You're back late, and you look like you found out something juicy,” Lance wiggled his eyebrows.

Keith frowned. “No, nothing out of the ordinary.”

Lance huffed. “Alright, fine.” He made grabby hands for Keith. “Just come to bed.”

Keith didn't want to go to bed. He didn't have time to entertain Lance, but he didn't know if he would ever get a chance like this again. He took off his boots, not bothering to change out of his clothes. He pulled Lance close, holding him tightly. Lance settled against him, and Keith rubbed his back. He kissed the top of Lance's head, taking him in for the last time. He knew this would be goodbye, but Lance remained blissfully unaware.

"I love you so fucking much," Keith whispered, pressing a long kiss to Lance's forehead. Lance smiled, snuggling up to him.

He watched Lance fall asleep, and he waited a little while longer. He wanted to make sure Lance really was asleep first, and it gave him time to memorize him. His hair always smelled so sweet, his skin was softer than any silk. Keith was going to miss him so much. A sob was stuck in his throat, and he had to swallow it down. He smoothed Lance's hair from his forehead, placing another gentle kiss there.

Keith crawled out of bed, putting his boots back on. He quietly reached into a drawer, pulling out Lance's sleeping supplies. He rolled Lance onto his back, putting his eye mask on him. He put the headphones on him, before kissing his nose one last time.

Keith was sure about this. More than anything, he wanted to keep Lance safe. He lingered for too long, wondering if he should even wipe his memories. ‘ _ You can't go too far - I'll just chase after you _ ,’ his brain echoed. He hated that he knew Lance would chase him to the ends of the universe, and he hated having to do this. But Lance wouldn't have let him go otherwise. He wiped his eyes. He could apologise a thousand times for what he was about to do, but it would have never been enough. 

He looked at the device, not sure how to use it at first. But once he figured it out... He sucked in his breath. Lance wouldn't know what he had lost, and that was for the best. He could move on and fall in love with a nice girl who wouldn't drop him so easily. Lance deserved so much better - he deserved the whole universe, but Keith couldn't be the one to gift it to him. The process was complete, and Keith's heart broke. It was better for everyone this way.

He hesitated by the door for a moment too long. The light must have been bright for it to pierce through Lance's stupid eye mask. He groaned, and Keith froze, not sure what he was going to do. He looked over his shoulder, and Lance looked dazed.

“Hey, where are you going?” Lance asked.

Keith wondered how much Lance could remember, if he even knew who Keith was. He sucked in his breath. “I'm just going to pee, I'll be back soon, go back to sleep,” Keith sighed. If this was his last chance to say goodbye, then... “I love you.”

“Mm?” Lance moaned. “I love you too, sweet thing.”

Maybe Lance didn’t even know who he was speaking to, or maybe there was still a remnant of a memory left. Whatever it was, Keith knew it would soon disappear. He smiled sadly as him, before finally leaving. He quietly snuck out of the building, out of Garrison property, and he didn’t dare to look back.

His destiny led him to the Blade of Marmora, the group that Ryzak worked for. He went through rigorous testing, and he came out of it knowing who he was. He was part Galra on his mother's side, a fact that surprised him but no one else. He found out what the blade was for, and why Ryzak was willing to kill Keith for it. Keith became a full member of the Blades, spending the past year or so going on missions with them.

He soon learned that what he had found was a piece of the legendary Voltron. It was thought to have been destroyed ten thousand years ago, but now, it seemed it still lived on. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing they could do; they could not access the lion they had found. Their new task was to find the rest of them, along with keeping the yellow one safe, with Keith’s help. He didn't know how he found the first one, so finding the others proved difficult.

Finding the lions became a lower priority to other missions - they had better things to do than chase legends. Keith lost hope of going home to Lance, but sometimes, he liked to think they would see each other again. That sliver of hope was enough to keep him going in darker times. He was doing this for Lance, to keep him and the universe safe.

Months passed, and his mission took him to an abandoned planet. It was grey, miserable, and devoid of life. He saw a ship in the distance, and as he approached, he realised the ship looked like a lion. Strange. A ship shaped like a lion… Keith's eyes widened, and he charged over. Some creatures were trying to attack someone, and Keith knew he had to help whoever was being attacked.

What he didn't expect was to see Shiro. Keith knew Shiro wasn’t dead, but it was still a shock to see him. He didn’t have the chance to explain much to him, if anything. Keith made sure Shiro was alright while he talked, trying to stem the bleeding from a glowing wound on his side. Then Shiro called out to Lance, and it was like time had stopped.

Keith had no idea what to do then. He wanted to avoid Lance getting himself into danger, he wanted to keep Lance safe. But he wasn't safe, not if he was out in space. At least, it seemed like Lance didn’t know who he was. A small relief. With a quick goodbye to Shiro, he made himself disappear. He hoped this would be the last time he would see Lance, but it wasn’t. He knew their destinies were linked, even back on Earth, but not like this.

Seeing Lance properly at the swap shop was something else. He was too focused to notice Keith at first, looking around the mall. Somehow, even after a year, Lance hadn't changed much. He still looked so soft, and he was still so cute. Keith had wanted to reach out and hold him, but he knew he had something to do.

He was lucky Lance was suddenly occupied, otherwise he would have chased after Keith that day.

***

Lance frowned. If he hadn’t been in space for so long, he would have called total bullshit on the whole thing. A secret intelligence society had him by the throat, yet still didn’t kill him? They were Galra, too - Galra were ruthless, that was the first thing one learned in space. Lance glanced over at Keith, who was hunched over, staring at his hands. Keith wasn't a liar - not back then, and not now.

“So,” Lance cleared his throat, “are you human?” A stupid question, but it was an ice breaker.

Keith shook his head. “No, I told you. I’m part Galra.”

“Well, this just means you won’t pass captcha tests anymore,” Lance joked. Keith looked over at him, brow furrowed. “Get it? Cause you're not human.”

Keith shook his head, laughing softly. And just like that, it was like Keith hadn’t changed at all. He was still so pretty, still had a shitty sense of humour. Lance couldn’t help but smile. Despite the time that had passed, Lance's heart was soft for Keith. He put his hand on Keith’s knee.

“So, wait. Why can I remember you?” Lance asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe your heart remembered what your brain couldn’t,” Keith snorted.

“That’s so cheesy,” Lance said, shoving him gently.

If he was honest with himself, he would agree. His heart thumped every time he thought about the boy in his dreams. Now that Keith was right here, Lance's heart was just a puddle on the floor. Lance was utterly useless for Keith. Some things just never changed.

“I kept my promise, you know,” Lance said quietly, “I told you. No matter where you go, I’ll follow.”

Keith scoffed. “Yeah, you did.”

Keith looked down at the hand on his knee. He moved his hand, hovering it over Lance’s, then placed it on top. Lance squeezed his hand gently, looking at Keith. He looked right back at him, and those hard eyes softened. Lance smiled. This was the wrong time - and the wrong place - for either of their feelings. But who knew how long they would live for? They could die tomorrow. Lance frowned.

“How long have you got here?” Lance asked.

“As long as negotiations last,” Keith said, with a sly smile on his face. “Something could keep me here for a little longer.”

“Yeah? What would it take to keep you here just a little longer?” Lance scooted just a little closer.

“Maybe the guy of my dreams?” Keith laughed.

Lance shoved him gently, laughing. His first impression really was a lasting one. His free hand brushed against Keith’s cheek, pinky tucked under his jawbone. The smile on Keith’s face was so gentle, and Lance never wanted to forget it. He never wanted to forget anything about Keith, not as much as he could help it.

Keith leaned in close, and Lance’s breath hitched. Their lips made contact, lightly brushing, before finally pressing against each other. This wasn’t their first kiss, but it felt like the first time.

***

_ “I don't have to go into space to look at the stars when I can see them all in your eyes.” Lance smiled like a dork at him. “I really like you, Keith.” _

_ Keith looked a mix of unimpressed and amused, but he held his hand over Lance's, leaning into the touch and closing his eyes. “You don't have to use your cheesy pickup lines on me.” He almost laughed. “Lance, I really like you, too.” _

_ Lance couldn’t stop smiling, goofy and wide. The excitement got the better of him, and he pulled Keith in by the front of his shirt, earning a whimper of surprise. He kissed Keith hard, and Keith held the sides of his neck. Lance pulled away, pressing their foreheads together, still not letting go of his hand. He had a feeling, even then, that his feelings would never die. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it!! Thank you for reading! Don't forget to check out [Shi](http://shiroikumo.tumblr.com/post/178292840062/lance-had-been-experiencing-strange-dreams-lately)'s art!
> 
> And check out [my Tumblr](http://vehicroids.tumblr.com), too.


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